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Monday, December 30, 2013

So I have been really surprised by how well-received my "Brain of an SLP" has been since I posted it on my blog months ago. It was recently featured on PediaStaff as well, and I am again, so flattered.After I started to see how much people liked the graphic, I decided to follow my husband's idea for creating a graphic for the heart of an SLP.Let me back up a second--- before I went in to this field, I spent seventeen years as a school counselor. It was a very stressful time because I had this advanced graduate degree and wanted to help children who were hurting, but unfortunately, most people in education wanted me to do testing and classroom guidance and were oblivious to the fact that I was a trained mental health professional (and had a brain and could do so much more). I was lucky that I was in a school where the principal let me create a school counseling program based on student needs and my training, and therefore, I was able to run twenty small groups a week for children with social skill deficits, anger issues, behavioral concerns, self-esteem needs, dealing with divorce and loss, etc. However, it was still a constant battle to be seen as a professional who could handle all types of emotional, social, and behavioral issues. Early in my career I became very close friends with the school SLP, and after we ate lunch most days, I would go back to my office thinking about how speech language pathology was just a better fit for me- I could still help children, but also be creative and expand my professional knowledge base every day. It seemed like the perfect way to use my brains to follow what my heart told me was my calling.So I went back to school and got another Master degree. But I found that what I got when I went back was so much more. There is something really special about SLPs. I haven't met one yet who wasn't incredibly smart, inventive, creative, or generous. I spent more time reading Speech Room News my last two years of graduate school then some of my college textbooks! I just couldn't believe how many wonderful blogs were out there with such inspirational people in our field. It makes me so proud of what we do and who we are.So, back on track, I just wanted to share this new graphic about the heart of an SLP. I hope it makes you smile the way I smile when I think of what we do and how we help others.

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Today is our last day of school before the Winter Break, and this tired SLP is READY!Here is a peek at what we did the last two days since most of my students were:A) Having a holiday party in their classB) In puberty classes if they were fifth graders!C) Making a special ornament for mom and dadD) Performing a special play for parentsWHEW! Busy kids make it very hard to get students for therapy. If I was lucky to get a group, most of them only stayed for fifteen to twenty minutes. Thus, it was time to either eat, or play a little Rudolph Operation- or both!

My students in grades 2-5 really liked this game (the Humble Bumble grumbles if the tweezers touch the side of the object you are trying to retrieve and can scare the younger ones, so it is a little harder for smaller kids who do not have good fine motor skills). I love it for the older crowd because they can practice their skills and then try for an object on the game card to earn money. Plus, the game is like classic Operation, it is full of idioms and figurative language that you can discuss with your students!

Of course, few things excite my kids more than a good old-fashioned speech party.

We enjoyed treats while we discussed what our favorite games were in speech this year. I let the kids list their top choices and then we voted on which one we would play when we get back from break. I think I got more language today then I ever have before!Hope everyone had a fun end to their work week before break!

Thursday, December 12, 2013

The holiday break is getting closer, and I am getting a little loopy, but I wanted to share a quick pinspiration I found and modified to work on pronouns with my students!

I have seen lots of posts of mustache and lip clipart mixed in with Christmas themed props on Pinterest for people to use in taking Christmas card pictures. I decided to google mustaches and lip clipart until I found a few I liked. I printed it out on cardstock, and I used red glitter glue for my lips to make them sparkly. I taped them to large popsicle sticks and viola, we have a fun tool to help kids visualize when to use he vs. she during our stories and drill practice.

"Who is digging?" He is digging. (Complete with a mustache which the kids find hilarious).

"Who is laughing?" She is laughing.I also like to use the props with puppets and books so it is done outside of drill with cards:

The idea is simple, but having a visual reminder is so helpful for cementing the concept (as well as the word being written on the stick). I am going to make some sticks for him/her and his/hers as well, and just take the lips and mustache from one stick to another when I need it. What ideas do you use to help students learn pronouns?

Sunday, December 8, 2013

What is black and white and loads of fun? PENGUINS!I have always had a soft spot for these waddling, fascinating animals, and it is always one of my popular themes in speech each year. I am amazed at the stuff I have found this past year to add to my penguin fun, and I thought I would share them with you since winter is a great time to do a penguin theme (either in place of holidays or after holiday break).

I always start the week with Tacky, the Penguin by Helen Lester. Using my camera on my iPhone, I took pictures of pages from the book, printed them out, and have the kids retell the story using the photos. I also like to use nonfiction when possible! The We Give Books site allows members (it is free to join) access to many nonfiction texts, and I use this site to read the book "See How They Grow- Penguins" about penguins.

The site has other nonfiction books about Emperor Penguins and arctic animals that tie in nicely with the theme! Click here to see: http://www.wegivebooks.org/books.We add in additional fun with an array of games! Here are some that we have used:Penguin Popper (practice your goal, get two chances to pop the popper into a bucket)

Don't Rock The Boat (my kids are obsessed with this game and ask for it all year). Simply balance penguins on a boat without any falling off.

Penguin Panic (Jenga with ice bricks)

Penguin Land (a new game I got at a Tuesday Morning store where you get to spin a snowball as fast as you can to knock down your opponents penguins).And what theme isn't complete without a craftivity?This time, we use a black plastic cup to make our own penguins. I like to make a Tacky, but sometimes we just make a plain Penguin too!

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

I can’t believe
anyone would be grumpy this time of year (I Just LOVE the holiday season), but
I have to share a fun Christmas book that my students always enjoy reading each
year that I have not seen mentioned on other blog posts!

Are You
Grumpy, Santa? is a
favorite in my speech room.It is a
rhyming tale of how lots of little things (like a stubbed toe, an itchy suit, a
freezing shower, and a snoring Mrs. Claus) put Santa in a grumpy mood.I love this book because it allows you to be
really expressive when reading it, silly, and it introduces some great social
language concepts like being grumpy versus mad and how you deal with bad
days/frustrations!It also lends itself
to good inferencing questions, wh? questions, making predictions, and determining
cause and effect.

In the book, a
simple act of kindness cheers up Santa (cookies and milk and a sweet little
note).I love to run with this and have
the kids think of creative ways they would cheer up Santa Claus if he was
grumpy.I have heard great answers over
the past few years including feeding his reindeer for him, making him a pizza,
taking him to the mall, getting him a new beard trimmer, etc.We share our kindness ideas while taking turns
tossing an ornament in to a dollar store stocking. (Share an idea for cheering up Santa, and you
get two shots to get the ornament in the stocking).If they make it, they get a point.Most points at the end wins, but most
importantly, they are thinking about how you cheer up others and practicing
their good speech sounds at the same time!Just make sure you use non-breakable ornaments! J

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About Me

Welcome! I'm a Starbucks-fueled, Type-A perfectionist who is also a crafty and creative ASHA certified SLP. I'm also a mom of two and wife of the best hubby ever!
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I hope my ideas help spark your therapy!